In general, various experiments or analyses are in progress in a variety of research institutes, school laboratories, hospitals, and the like. Especially, in the biochemical experiment or analysis, an experiment or analysis is conducted using various solutions for analysis of components for various kinds of research data or samples.
As one of these experimental and analytical methods, an optical analysis method is widely used in which light is irradiated onto a liquid sample. Such a optical analysis method is one in which light is irradiated onto the liquid sample using a separate light source, the light having passed through the liquid sample is received and detected by a separate light detector, and the components or characteristics of the liquid sample are calculated through analysis of the detected light.
At this time, the liquid sample is typically provided to a separate transparent cuvette so as to allow the liquid sample to flow into the cuvette, and then light is irradiated onto the liquid sample flowing in a constant flow within the cuvette so that a precise analysis can be performed on the liquid sample. In this case, the cuvette is manufactured in a wide variety of forms depending on the type of the analysis or the liquid sample. The cuvette is constructed of a single cell structure on a disposable basis without an inconvenience of the inner cleaning work so as to perform a simple analysis.
The cuvette is made of a transparent material such as glass or acryl, and includes a flow channel formed therein so as to allow the liquid sample to flow therethrough. In the optical analysis of the liquid sample, light is irradiated onto and penetrates through flow channel in the cuvette to analyze the characteristics of the liquid sample flowing in the flow channel formed. At this time, the inner flow channel of the cuvette is required to be formed such that its vertical distance or thickness is very short in a micro unit along a direction in which the light passes through the flow channel, so that an accurate optical analysis can be performed on the liquid sample with high absorbance owing to a shortened path length of the light passing through the liquid sample.
In other words, in case of a liquid sample with high absorbance, as the path length of the light passing through the liquid sample becomes shorter, an optical analysis can be performed more accurately. Thus, the flow channel of the cuvette has a great effect on accuracy and reliability of the optical analysis of the liquid sample depending on the thickness of the flow channel in which the liquid sample flows in a direction in which the light passes therethrough.
Therefore, the flow channel formed in the cuvette to allow the liquid sample to flow therein is required to be formed very thin in a micro unit, if necessary. However, there occurs a problem in that since it is difficult to make the inner flow channel of the cuvetter very thin, an expensive advanced machining equipment is often needed, which leads to an increase in the manufacturing cost and time. In addition, such a cuvette is not used in small-sized laboratories due to its high price.